Hanyo Priestess
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: After a horrible war, Kuri is raised by a woman who found her on the battlefield. When she is fourteen, she finds Inuyasha bound to a tree in the vast forest, and after freeing him, battles him, and finds herself in possession of a new power.
1. Awakening

"The border wars continue after some deliberation between the two presidents, but no agreements have been made—"

Kuri slapped a hand on the radio alarm clock in the shape of a yellow duck. "Mom! Why didn't you wake me! I'm late for school!"

Kuri ran down the hallway and skidded into the bathroom, frantically trying to fix my hair and brush my teeth at the same time. "Kuso! I'm gonna be so late!"

"I set your clock back an hour. You're fine, Kuri," said Mama lazily.

"Oh sheesh," Kuri glared at her. "You're so me-e-an, Mama."

"Kuri, could you do me a favor and go out in the back woods and get us some firewood?" Mama asked, stepping into Kuri's room. She was a gorgeous slender woman with long black hair in a bun and then cascading down her back. She smiled. "The weatherman says it's going to be very cold tonight."

"Hai!" Kuri replied. "It's going to be a great winter break, Mama! Everyone says so!"

Kuri tapped her shoes on the threshold and ran to the old shed. Kuri grabbed about twenty red ribbons to mark her path in the forest. It was very easy to get lost in Tama Forest. Few ventured in and returned intact, but Mama said that as owners and protectors of the forest, they had nothing to worry about.

Kuri walked into the forest and marked the first tree she passed with a red cloth. She kept walking, marking the trees. It had been awhile since she had begun walking, and she had gathered plenty of wood. Kuri was holding a month's worth of wood. It was time for her to get back into Azumano, and fast, as dark was approaching.

Kuri turned and started back. But…the marks were gone! Her red ribbon markers had vanished! Kuri kept walking as taught by Mama, but she couldn't find an opening in the trees. It was cold and she felt that she might remain lost.

Wait! The Goshinboku! Kuri could see it from here! It was at the center of the forest. Mama said that if she was ever lost, to go there and say the incantation with her key pendant.

Kuri ran as fast as I could, and she saw it. She had been there with Mama so many times. It was so comforting. Kuri stared up at it and got a shock. There was a boy there. He was unlike anything Kuri had ever seen. He had to be a hanyou. Something she had only heard about in legends.

But he was bound to the tree by a sword. It looked like it was a stone sword. Kuri reached out and touched it. It glowed and changed. There was a pulse from the tree. The sword became made of crystal, a bright, shining weapon.

Kuri reached out and touched it again. A woman appeared out of the mist. Her hair in a brown ponytail, and she wore the clothing of a demon-slayer from Fuedal Japan. She smiled sadly at me. "Do not remove it. Not unless you are ready to fight. Hime-sama…removing that sword is a declaration of war."

"H-Hime-sama?" Kuri asked. "I'm not—ah, who are you?"

The woman was gone. But the hanyou. Kuri looked at him and felt such pain. Kuri touched his chest.

There was that pulse again! It hit them both this time. Kuri fell back onto the ground. Something bright had appeared into her hands. It was warm and shone with such light, the little crystal.

"Oi!" the boy was alive! He was speaking to Kuri! "Why'd ya bother waking me up? You know I'm gonna kill ya now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kuri said softly. "My name is Kurisuta Hikawa. You may call me Kuri. And…I can't stand to see any creature suffer this way."

Kuri put the crystal on her necklace and then reached up and took the hilt in her hands. Kuri felt heat come off the blade, and remembered the strange woman's words. The wind pulled at her hair, and she shut her eyes, pulling with all her might. The sword came out and Kuri fell to the ground.

He smirked, grabbing her by the collar. "Baka onna. Tell me…where is the Shikon no Tama?"

Kuri only smiled. "It's really too bad for you. You caught me on a really bad day."

Kuri spun her hand. "I'll finish you in one blow."

He laughed. "In your dreams, bitch!"

"THAT'S IT!" Kuri yelled, grabbing the sword. "HIKO!"

"IRON REAVER, SOUL STEALER!" he responded in kind, deflecting Kuri's attack and attacking with his claws and pinning her down. "Where is the Shikon? And where is the hime-sama!"

"Probably killed," Kuri responded. "The war killed everyone. Except a select few. Mama rescued me from the carnage. Apparently I was only a baby. And as for the jewel…I don't know anything about that."

Kuri smirked and stabbed him, digging in. He cried out and rolled off of her in pain. Kuri felt a flinch and shiver run through her. "Inu…Yasha…"

"H-How do you know my name?" He questioned in anger. "Just who the hell are you?"

Kuri clutched her key. "Mama…"

There was a bright flash, and Kuri reappeared at home.

"Kuri!" Mama ran out and embraced me. "A-Are you okay? Your clothes are torn! Is that blood?"

Kuri looked up with tears in my eyes. "Mama…I was so scared! I was attacked by a hanyou!"  
"A…hanyou?" Mama pulled away. "Ah…those woods are quite strange…we shall buy our firewood from now on. And you...you fought him off! I am proud. But the war…it has only just begun, Hime-sama…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He asked you about the shikon, didn't he," Mama said, taking something from her pocket. "You are fourteen today, Hime-sama. Today, at dawn, you become a _filia lunae. _A daughter of the moon, high priestess, and a slayer of demons."

Mama took out a sheathe and put the sword Kuri was holding inside. "There are shards of the shikon all over this world. You must make it whole again. That is your destiny."

"The shards will absorb into your body. And you will purify them."

"Mama, I am ready."


	2. Nazuna of the New Moon

Kuri entered the bookshop.

She saw Inuyasha, this time with black hair, reading in the corner.

"What are you doing here?!" They chorused.

Kuri froze. "Did you hear that?"

"Don't be afraid of every little th—"

BAM! They were thrown from the building by a demon made of paper.

It outstretched its hand and paper covered Kuri and began to suffocate her.

Inuyasha tried to cut her out of the prison, but the papers were binding her hands behind her back, preventing her from using her powers, and his powers were gone because of the New Moon.

Another woman was bound in a similar way in the corner. She smirked. "Foul beast! I shall destroy you!"

In a flash of cold, the demon froze and shattered.

"You two alright?" She said. "I'm Nazuna. Usually I wouldn't help a half demon, but you're an old friend, Inuyasha!"


	3. Crimson Bat

"What is this contraption?" Inuyasha demanded.

"It's a bus, Mr High and Mighty." Kuri replied, pulling him on board.

"Why are we riding a bus?" Nazuna said. "There are plenty of other methods of transit."

Kuri rolled her eyes. "Yes. But she is on this one. I know it."

Standing on the bus, keeping a watchful eye, was a woman, who looked to be some sort of bat demon.

The bus lurched, and children screamed.

"Can we get off the bus now?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

Kuri only growled at him.

The bus entered another world, and the passengers were led off into a corner.

"Show yourself Chaos!" A man stood there.

More beast than man, Kuri recognized him as the one they called Naraku. She moved to attack, when the spy from the bus stepped forward.

"Stop it Naraku!" Shiori said.

"You can't give me anything. Only she can! You are useless to me!" Naraku lurched forward with an attack.

The woman easily evaded, attacking with her barrier orb.

Slowly the strange dimension began to fade.

"Who are you?" Nazuna pointed her blade at the woman.

"I am Crimson Bat."


	4. Masquerade

Nazuna, Shiori, and Kuri were dressed in dresses to attend a masquerade ball.

They were searching for the next member of their team, whom Kuri had assured them would be at this party.

A lady spilled a drink onto Kuri's dress and she went to clean it up, but before she leaves, a handkerchief falls from her. Inuyasha saw it fall from her and picked it up.

Kuri looks around. "I can't find the bathroom," she said. "Nazuna, Shiori... Where did they go? I look like a princess, but... I'm alone. This is so boring."

"A beautiful priestess," a man said as he approached Kuri. "Let's dance."

"Inuyasha!?" Kuri said. "You said you didn't want to come." They started to dance. "Oh, I've wanted to be with you," she said.

"Me too," said Inuyasha.

But just then, Shiori called and Inuyasha disappeared. Kuri thought to herself, _"Oooh...I wish I could stay with him..."_

Kuri was searching for her friends when she was attacked by one of the monsters that knocked her off the balcony.

Kuri stuck out her arm as she plummets to the ground. A clawed hand grabbed it, holding her. Kuri looked up. "Inuyasha!?"

Kuri then heard Shiori through her phone calling for her help. Inuyasha began to lose his grip. Kuri used her pen, which then began to grow.

It shot up, and an umbrella opened out of it. Kuri fell, carrying Inuyasha over the balcony. They slowly drifted to the ground.

"Today, you saved me," Inuyasha said. "I thank you." He ran off into the moonlight.

"No..." said Kuri, fingering her star pendant. "It's always you who saves me."

Kuri began to fight the monster on the terrace.

Crimson Bat and New Moon were having trouble and couldn't defeat the monster.

Suddenly, a light appeared in Kuri's hands: "My body's growing warm. Like I feel with Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha appeared on the balcony ledge behind Kuri. "Priestess!" he says. "You must extinguish the darkness! You need a powerful light!"

Kuri lifted her sword. "TSUBASA!"

She leapt down off the terrace as the monster was defeated.

She fainted into Inuyasha arms.

"You're just who I wanted to see..." Kuri said.

He placed a pillow beside a pillar on the balcony outside, and rested her against it. He leaned forward, and gently touched his lips to hers. He kissed her deeply.

_"Oh... This feeling... So familiar... Sometime... Somewhere... So soft and warm... It's happened before... Those sweet lips..."_, she thought.

"Get away from Kuri!" called Crimson Bat. "Inuyasha! What are you doing? Why do you always show up where we are?"

He stood up. "I don't know. But I will always be on the side of the Priestess."

New Moon stepped forward. "Are you our enemy," she says, "or our friend?"

"Well," Inuyasha said, "if we're both after the same thing... perhaps I'm your enemy." He looked at the two of them


	5. Wise Storm

"Be careful around Inuyasha." Nazuna said.

"That's right." Shiori said. "We don't know who he really is."

_"Inuyasha..."_ Kuri thinks as she walks. _"What's wrong with me... Every time I hear his name, my heart flutters. He's so familiar... It's like I knew him a long time ago..."_

Soten was trying to get away from her a ghost bride that was attacking her.

Inuyasha saw this and rushed to Kuri's house.

Kuri saw Inuyasha. "Is this a dream? Inuyasha?"

Kuri runs, following the man in front of her. "Where are we going?" she wonders. "Inuyasha... Where are you taking me?"

He takes her to Soten being attacked.

In a blast of red magic, Soten became the Wise Storm and destroyed the bride in a rush of exploding lights. She then fell to her knees and Kuri rushed to help her.

Inuyasha looked at them and rushed into the night.

Kuri's sword began to glow and lengthened.

"The Aether Sword..."


	6. Inuyasha

Kuri was now fully aware she was to defeat a great evil.

Inuyasha had been sleeping now and was dreaming of a woman with long, flowing hair calling out: "The Aether Sword."

Inuyasha's eyes popped open. He sat up in bed. "Who is that calling me in my dreams? Always whispering the same words... 'The Aether Sword.' And when I'm about to see her face... I wake up." He picked up a star-shaped watch on a chain. "Six o'clock." He envisioned the woman. "That long hair... Who is she?"

That morning, Kuri had been having bad dreams so had woken up early and left for school. She saw Shiori on the way and explained this to her when she meets Inuyasha again.

"Shiori! Soten!" called Kuri.

"Hi, Kuri," said Shiori. "Great! You didn't oversleep today."

"Well, I've been having bad dreams lately." Kuri saw Inuyasha walking down the street. "Hey, he was in my weird dream."

"That guy!" Kuri said. "Inuyasha!"

"Hey," he called.

She made a face at him. "I don't need your help!"

"Who's this?" asked Soten.

"I don't know," Kuri said.. "Just some guy I always run into."

"Kuri," Soten said, "you're blushing." She smiled. "Do you like him?"

"No!"

"Wow," said Shiori, "he's wearing a uniform. That's an elite school. Are you sure you don't know him?"

"Well," said Kuri, "his name's Inuyasha. I've bumped into him a few times. He's really annoying."

The girls then tapered off into a discussion of who was on the cover of the newspaper asking for the Aether Sword. This had become a huge news topic even on tv news.

Later that evening, the enemy attacked and had done something to the city to make everyone weak and was sucking their energy. Kuri, too had fallen prey to this, but guess who came along and helped her?

"Ohhh..." Kuri moaned. "I feel faint... This must be the work of the enemy." She dropped to her knees. "I have to save everyone... Ohhh... I don't think I can do it..." She collapsed on the ground, the Aether Sword flying out of her bag.

Inuyasha came around the corner and saw her lying there. He lifted her up. "What's this... So warm... Flowing energy..."

A hand touched Kuri's face. "Hey! Wake up!"

She opened her eyes and saw Inuyasha looking at her, concerned. "Inuyasha! Why are you here...!?" She thought to herself, "Could this be a dream?"

"I saw you here," he said. "I had to act fast."

"Inuyasha..." Kuri said. "You... Did you do this?"

"No!" he said. "That's not what I want. I'm just after the Aether Sword. But, I don't have any information about it. You must go after it. Attack, Chaos! I can't do anything now."

Kuri's eyes go wide. "He knows..." she thought. "That I'm Chaos...!" Her heart pounded. "But... Who is he!?"

"Only you can save everyone," Inuyasha said. He thought to himself, "I've seen her somewhere before... But I don't know where. The deep color of her eyes..."

"This is so confusing," Kuri said, "but I don't have time for that now!" She transformed into Chaos. She left to battle.

It is up to Chaos now to save everyone. None of the other soldiers were around to help her and only she can do it. Chaos was frantic with worry over what to do but Inuyasha was there to encourage her. This lead to one of the most sweetest scenes between them before their past love life together is remembered.

"Pull yourself together, Chaos!" Inuyasha held her close. "You can do it!"

The Aether Sword appeared, glowing in front of her. "What? Where did that come from?" she said.

Chaos held the sword. "That light... That power is flowing out of it." She looked at Inuyasha. "I don't know if I can do it." She turns forward. "Please... For everyone..." She held the glowing sword out. "So they can live! Please..." Bright light shines everywhere, as the sword's power shot out.

People lying on the street began to awaken. They moaned, and slowly stood up. Chaos falls back, unconscious and turned back to Kuri. "Kuri?" Inuyasha called as he caught her in his arms. "That crisis must have made her tired..."

"No..." Kuri mumbled.

"Using the power was too much for her," he said. He kisses her on the cheek. "You did well, Kuri."

He picks her up and carries her. His star-shaped watch fell from his suit and caught on Kuri skirt. The glass cracks.

"Ohhh... I'm so relieved... These warm hands... That spirit... I know these hands from long ago.", Kuri thought.

Kuri opened her eyes. She sat up in a bed, in a room with a large window looking out on the city. "Where am I?" She looked out the window. "It's like in my dream... The one I always have... Someone calling to me..." She pictured the person with long white hair. "That man's voice... Who is it...?"

She lifted the bedcovers and saw a star-shaped watch with cracked glass. She picked it up. "A moon-phase pocket watch... It's broken... Who's is it? Maybe...Inuyasha's...?" She hugged her shoulders. "I transformed in front of Inuyasha... What if he's an enemy... But he always saves me. Why? I want to know. Why does he always save me?"

The door to the room opened. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" Inuyasha asked.


	7. Hanyou

"Inuyasha? Why... why is he here!?" Kuri thinks to herself. She asks him, "Where am I?"

"This is my apartment," Inuyasha says.

She looks around the room. "Inuyasha's apartment...?" she thinks. "I'm in this guy's apartment..."

"Do you remember?" he asks.

Kuri's eyes widen. She looks on the couch. Inuyasha's clothes, the Robe of the Fire Rat...

"After you used that power," Inuyasha says, "you fell down, asleep."

"I remember..." Kuri thinks. "That low voice..." She looks at him. "That watch..." She stands up and walks over to the couch. She picked up the helmet. "But... I didn't notice..." She goes to him. "The deep color of his eyes..." She placed her hand over Inuyasha's robe. "The Hanyou Inuyasha...?"

"Why?" she asks.

"To get my memory back," he says, "I have to get the Shikon no Tama."

"Your memory?"

"I became a half-demon when I was ten." Ben said. "But I can't remember anything else. Not anything from my past. But...I did remember you, Kuri, I mean, Chaos."

"I have these dreams where you were calling to me, telling me the secret to my memory was the Shikon no Tama." Ben looked up. He looks at Kuri. "What about you? You're looking for it too, right?" he says. "Why?"

"Well... I'm..." She scratches her head. "I don't really know why. But I remember I must find and protect it."

"I see."

_"So that's his reason," _Kuri thinks.

Their eyes meet. Ben puts his hand on her shoulder. " Kuri's heart jumps. "Here's your bag," he says, holding up her bookbag. She takes it and he leaves the room.

She lifts the star-shaped watch from her skirt. "He brought this for me... A broken pocket watch."

Inuyasha stands by a dresser. "Night has fallen already." He holds the handkerchief Kuri dropped at the masked ball. He kisses it gently, as Kuri, at the same time, kisses the watch.

Kuri headed home, and in a swarm of flowers, a woman landed in front of her; Reiko Kurama.

"I am the Fox of Fortune." She said. "I have the Shikon no Tama, and I am the one you have sworn to protect, Chaos."

Kuri was full of both hope and despair.


	8. Oath Sworn

Fox of Fortune is shown to have a star mark on her forehead and Nazuna says

"She really is the one we came to protect. The Hime."

Xxx

"Hime," the man calls.

Kuri turns, and sees him being swept away. The man screams in pain. Kuri then also screams his name, with tears pouring like rivers from her eyes, "Inuyasha!"

Xxx

"No!" Kuri sits up. In bed. She looks around. "A dream...?"

She goes over to the window and stretches. "After meeting the Hime, I've been having that dream... 'Hime...' he calls. To me?"

Xxx

A woman called Mio was attacking the warriors.

"Go to the tower!" Fortune Fox said.

Kuri had a bad feeling.

Kuri holds her hands to her mouth. "I feel something bad is going to happen," she thinks to herself. "Inuyasha!? I wonder if he's all right. He's not hurt, is he? Inuyasha..."

xxx

Inuyasha sits up in bed. "That dream..." he says. "Someone calling to me...? My head hurts... What's going on!?"

He looks out the window. "A blackout!? What's over there? A single light..." All he see is one single bright light in the dark city. He gets up. He feels Kuri is in danger.

Kurai is now battling mio and has used her swords power to restore power to the city. But then Mio blasts her and she falls off of the Tower.

"Oh no!" she cries. "I'm falling!"

She lands in the arms of Inuyasha. He winks at her. "Inuyasha! I don't believe it... You saved me again!" She hugs her arms around him and tells him, "There's danger! The enemy is beating us! We can't run away from here." Then she reaches up and kisses him, and flies back up to the top of the tower.

Inuyasha holds his hand over his mouth as he watches her leave. "Chaos...! You're strong today. Every time we meet, I see a different side of you. Were you a different person before? What kind of girl are you!? Who are you, really!?"

Chaos runs back to the others, whose powers are all being sucked up by Mio.

Kuri's eyes widen. "Get out of here!" she calls to the others. "Hurry!" She thinks to herself, "He's going to attack with his stored energy!? I have to get the Hime to a safe place. I have to protect her!" She points the sword at the girls, and a sphere of light encircles them, carrying them away.

"Kuri!?" Fortune Fox calls. "Chaos! Damn!"

A large mass of energy gathers around Mio. She is going to attack Chaos,

Fortune Fox yells to the others, "Protect Chaos! Hurry!"

The energy blasts toward Kuri.

"I have to save her," Inuyasha says. "This time, I'll do it!" Remembering instantly, that he could not save her once before, a very long time ago. The memory stirs him into action, with no thought for his own safety. All he sees is Kuri and that he loves her, and she is in danger.

He jumps up and dashes in front of her. The blast strikes, piercing him through the chest and transforming him back into his human form.

Kuri yells in shock as Inuyasha falls to the ground. "Inuyasha!?"

Inuyasha sees a girl hazily through his eyes. "Someone's calling to me..." he thinks. "That long hair... In my dream, always calling me... Is it you? Chaos?"

"Inuyasha!" Kuri cries. "Stay with me! Open your eyes!"

"Such a sad face," he thinks. "Why is she crying?" He sees an image in his mind. "This has happened before..."

"Inuyasha!" the girl cries. "Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha..." he thinks. "That's my name... I remember. I was born here as a human. To meet with you..."

He reaches up. "Hime..." he cried out, before his body goes limp.

"No!" Kuri says. "Noooo!" she screams. A silvery black light, like space, glows around the two.

"Chaos!?" the other girls call.

A star appeared on Chaos' skin The girls gasp. "The mark...! Hime!?"


	9. To Infinity

The mark on Fortune Fox's forehead disappears, replaced with her ordinary helmet.

Kurai holds Inuyasha's head. She is now sitting in a flowing gold and black dress. She takes out her moon watch. "Inuyasha's broken pocket watch..." she thinks as tears stream from her eyes. "It's starting to go in the opposite direction. Time's going backwards... I feel the memory of the past. It's so sad..."

"I remember," Shiori says. "About us... We're Kaguya's four guardian soldiers...! Born to protect the Celestial Maiden, and protect this planet. So, she's our REAL Celestial Maiden."

The four girls, and Maka, watch Kurai and Inuyasha, who float over the Tower.

"I remember," Kurai thinks. "Inuyasha... I love you, Inuyasha...

"My memory is coming back quickly. I'm drawn into your deep green eyes. Your planet. The star that hides hopes and dreams. Back then, I loved to watch that planet from the moon. I watched you when you found the Tessaiga. I used to come down, as a child, and help you. But, we couldn't meet like that. Why? Lunarians and Humans couldn't be together... We weren't supposed to love one another... But, it was too late."

Xxx

"Destroy the Moon!" Makajyu calls. "Bring me the Moon Stone!" He turns. "Inuyasha! Have you betrayed the Earth!? This is all for our prosperity!"

"Stop!" Inuyasha calls. "You must stop! This is a useless fight! You aren't even from our planet! Kaguya and her people are peaceful!"

A man and woman ran from Makajyu's call. The woman raises her sword above her head. She brings it down. Kaguya screams as the blade cuts through Inuyasha.

"Noooo! Inuyasha!"

xxx

"Answer me!" Kurai pleads. "Open your eyes!" Tears streak down her face.

"I remember," she thinks. "You died for me...and I revived you back then...using that forbidden power; the Moon Stone...but then my world died...and I lost everything...so I followed you here..."

"Inuyasha!" she cries. "I can't do anything... I love you. You're the only one..."

A tear falls from her cheek into the air. A bright light glows from it. It slowly gets bigger and brighter as power streams out of it.

"What the-!?" Maka says

"It's so bright!" Fortune Fox calls. "I can't see anything!"

A man looks out his house window, and sees the dazzling light in the sky. "What's going on? Where's that coming from? It's night!"

Jyu watches. "That light...!?"

As the tear falls through the air, it transforms into a bright crystal.

"I see it!" Painted Lady calls. "The light...! Kurai-chan's tear crystallized! It's glowing!?"

"I don't believe it..." Shiori says. "The Omni Crystal..."

"Damn!" Maka says. "I can't sustain this barrier anymore!" She transports back to the Makajyu.

"Look!" Nazuna calls. "The Omni Crystal!"

As the crystal falls, the light comes out of it. The crystal lands in Kurai hands. The light moves into the body of Inuyasha.

Then Jyu's voice shouts to Maka to steal the crystal and the Celestial Maiden but instead, Inuyasha gets stolen away.

Xxx

Kurai sits in the Crown Karaoke, in her flowing gold and black dress, crying. Her head is buried in a soft pillow, rested on a table. The others watch her, concerned.

"Chaos..." Reiko Kurama (Fortune Fox) says as she approaches her. "I mean, Princess Kaguya, Celestial Maiden. Do you remember?" Kurai looks up at Reiko, who now wears a normal helmet. "Do you remember that I'm Fortune Fox? That I'm the real leader of the four soldiers of your royal guard... do you remember about our world on the moon?"

"I remember," Kurai says. She thinks to herself, "Inuyasha...before I failed you...when we were happy...the Moon watched over the Earth, like an honor guard. I was glad to aid the human hero I had found...and then the Makajyu came, and stole the heart of the Tessaiga, the Moon Stone. Without it, Inuyasha lost his ability to fight and his memory. It now activates with its own will, and I fight alone as well...I was happy when we started fighting together, but I realize now that the Crystal must have called him to war, just as it did me...oh Inuyasha, what have I done to you?"

"Inuyasha," Soten says. "You saved him then...at the cost of our whole world."

"You destroyed the entire world on the moon, just for his sake." Nazuna said.

Kurai looked up in shock.

xxx

Maka hovered over Inuyasha's dead body. She poured her magic into his form, but event that was not enough to call his soul back from within the Galaxy Cordon.

She ran a hand over his cheek. "Come back to me my beloved Inuyasha."

His green eyes open. But they did not sparkle with mischief as they once did. They were cold, and lifeless, and dead.

Inuyasha's body was alive, but his soul was gone. Maka did not care. He belonged to her now.

Xxx

Kurai was running, and she entered the Devil's Tree, the Makajyu.

She saw Inuyasha lying on a marble slab and ran to him, crying.

He opened his eyes, sat up, and—his face began to melt off.

Maka laughed behind her.

Kurai woke screaming.

xxx

Reiko met with the others.

"I admit that I was hoping I could spare her longer by pretending to be the Celestial Maiden." Reiko said. "But that's all over now."

They went into Kurai's house, where she looked like she was preparing for war.

"I will save Inuyasha." Kurai said. "I will defeat Maka and Jyu and all their minions. I promise."

Reiko smiled. "First we have to go home. Back to our world—the Moon—to regain our memories."


	10. Moon

Kurai, and the warriors are now making plans to go to the moon. Kurai is wearing the Shikon no Tama as a pendant on a necklace around her neck. She appears to have matured, aged, and grown up. Her father, here on earth, comments that sometimes, Kurai seems like a different person. Somehow older. Finally, everyone gathers to go to the moon.

Everyone is gathered at the Crown Karaoke. "Are you all ready?" asks Reiko. The girls nod. "Then let's go to the park."

"The park?"

"That's the place..." Kurai thinks. "Where I traded Inuyasha for this watch. I always met him accidentally. He was so stubborn, and we always fought, but... With him I was so happy. I wish I could meet him once more..."

"Kurai?" says Nazuna.

Kurai buries her face in her hands. "I have to save him!" she thinks. "What can I do now...? Inuyasha!"

The warriors transform. Reiko says some chant in a strange language, and all are transported to the Moon, and land in what Reiko calls: the Sea of Tranquility.

Kurai looks up at the black sky. "The darkness is like velvet..." she thinks. "So quiet." She looks ahead. "The faded ruins... Crumbled... This is the moon." They approach the ruins. "The Capital of Moon," she thinks. "Where our kingdom was..."

"Those broken pillars," Shiori says. "Is this where the shrine was?"

"Yes," says Reiko. "The Moon Castle. And here is where the queen used to pray." The walk further along. "Here is the center of the Moon Castle. That is the tower of prayer, the Crystal Tower." A spire rises high above them, its top crumbled like the rest of the area.

Kurai looks at the ground in front of the tower. The hilt of a sword sticks out of the ground, its blade buried in the rock floor. "What's that?" she says.

All the warriors try as hard to pull the stone sword out.

Reiko grasps the hilt and pulls. The sword slowly slides out of the ground. Reiko holds it up, a look of shock on her face. "A stone sword!?"

A small figure rises from the ground where the sword was stuck. She wears a smooth white dress with wings extending from the back. Her hair looks like Kurai's, with two ponytails extending from balls, that reach her feet.

"That is the holy blade, to protect the princess of legend," she says. "Nazuna, Shiori, Soten, and Reiko. You are the others. I called to you on Earth, as an incarnation of the moon priestess. Reiko, you have done well in getting everyone here. I am the old priestess of the Moon, the High Priestess."

Kurai's eyes widen. "Mother...!?" she thinks. "From my previous life... My mother?" She kneels in front of the woman, who still only comes up to Kurai's chest.

"You're so pretty, Kaguya," the High Priestess says. "I can see your figure. My body was destroyed, but when the Moon Castle's main computer wouldn't start, I started the sub-computer and left my spirit with it. My image is being generated by the computer. I had Reiko emerge from her cold sleep. I contacted her and had her watch over you. I've been waiting for this time to come. But now everything is in ruins. Do you remember?"

Kurai thinks of the past as she listens to her Mother.

"When the Moon Castle was beautiful," the High Priestess says. "The winds blowing inside the dome... But, Priestess Kaguya, you longed for the real wind of nature. You often went to Earth. And then, you found love."

Xxx

Soten grabs Priestess Kaguya's hair. "Priestess!"

"Did you sneak off to Earth again!?" Shiori asks.

"You're the heir to the throne of the Moon," Nazuna says, holding a stack of books. "You must study!"

Xxx

"Yes..." Kurai thinks. "I wanted to be with him. They were all watching me because I went to Earth so often."

"We were born on the moon," says High Priestess. "Our lives were long. The holy stone, the Shikon no Tama, was handed down through generations. We removed the negative influences on Earth. We watched to make sure it evolved in a positive direction. One year... The sun's activity was too much. That abnormal sun created a terrible creature. It crept to Earth before we noticed it. It tried to take over Earth for itself. That creature... It was your enemy, a demon named Makajyu.

The girls stare in silence.

"I watched the huge power carried in the Shikon no Tama," she continues. "That was how we lived long lives. The creature wanted the power. It took advantage of the humans. It manipulated people. Then it came to the moon. Only the young prince of Earth, Inuyasha, tried to stop it. He was too late. He lost everything defending you. You were so overcome with sorrow... You destroyed everything as a result.."

Kurai's eyes water. "Do you remember? What happened..." The High Priestess continues. "At last, I sealed it away. But, the Moon Castle had completely crumbled. Then the Earth was destroyed. Again we followed Earth's evolution from the beginning. That is the story of the past. But, the demon has been revived again. Now it is hidden somewhere on Earth. You must search for it. When I lost you back then, it was such a shock. I was confused, overcome with grief. With my weak spirit, I made the seal. That used the full power of the Shikon no Tama. The seal became defective. I can't let that happen all over again. It's up to you! Use the true power of the stone. Seal the demon away, priestess! Only you can do it!"

"The true power of the Shikon no Tama?" Kurai thinks.

"High Priestess!" calls Reiko. "There's something strange about the crystal! Its contents went into the body of Inuyasha. After that, it lost its light."

"It contents went into his body!?" she says. "That's... Maybe... You need to save him, Priestess Kaguya. Use your will. I know you're worried about him, but it's all right. He's alive. Don't worry."

Kurai sadly says ok.

"Priestess Kaguya, remember. It all depends on you. You have strong faith, and deep love. Without that, the demon will triumph. Priestess, as the warrior, you were proud and self-confident. You were born a girl on Earth, and the real answers are there. I must go now. Nazuna, Shiori, Soten and Reiko. Please, work together to protect the Priestess. I'm already out of power. I can't speak any more. Kaguya, be happy."

The High Priestess disappears with Kurai reaching out for calling after with tears in her eyes.

Kurai drops the Shikon no Tama to the ground. Tears stream from her eyes. Reiko kneels behind her, and rests her hand on Kurai's shoulder.

"The power of the Shikon no Tama..." Kurai thinks. "It all depends on me."

The warriors then form a circle and transport back to the earth.

The girls are encircled by light and rise up into space. Kurai looks down as they float down over Japan. "This isn't like the moon..." she thinks. "The lively sounds. The shining sea. The fresh wind. I dreamed of this planet. I watched over it."

xxx

Maka leans over Inuyasha's body, her hand caressing his face.

"His body's spirit was destroyed..." she remarks about Inuyasha.

Maka then looked at Inuyasha: "Inuyasha," she says, approaching him. He stares ahead blankly. "Now you are my puppet. Go above ground. Eliminate the priestess. Bring me the Shikon no Tama."


	11. Imposter

Inuyasha has come the city now. He bumps into Kurai and she looks as he walks by and sees that he looks just like Inuyasha. Later, she finds him at the Crown Game Center and sees that he is Inuyasha. She begins to see him every day after school at the center.

Before this, the soldiers had a meeting over the Holy Sword that Reiko now possesses. It has just broken a piece of diamond and Nazuna says:

"As you see," says Nazuna, "it broke the hardest substance into pieces. That sword isn't made of any ordinary stone. Since we brought it from the shrine on the moon, I've been examining it with Soten. Neither of us has seen anything like it. It has many special parts. I think it has some ability to build up power. It's stone part is extremely venomous. After Kurai- ...the priestess committed suicide in her previous life, we were bathed in light. That's all I remember."

"It carried a special poison... The Moon Castle was on the Sea of Serenity. Once it was beautiful crystal palace. Our Moon Kingdom... Back then, the moon wasn't a desolate, dark star. It shined brightly. But the enemy turned it into a star of death."

They stop talking. They see Kurai laying on a couch, asleep. "Talking about this must be hard for Kurai," Shiori says. "Because of Inuyasha. And she saw her mom, the High Priestess, on the moon. Her spirit is tired." They carry her into another room and tuck her into a bed.

"We must learn how to seal away the evil enemy," says Ginny. "We can use the holy blade of legend to defend the princess. We must locate the headquarters of the enemy. But there is a grave curse of this sword. I wonder how we can use it. How can we defeat the enemy and seal it away?"

Xxx

The group came across the Crown Karaoke. They heard singing going on.

"There she is." Reiko pointed.

"She's with someone." Shiori observed.

"Isn't that Inuyasha?" Soten said. "But somehow...not."

Nazuna shivered. "I get a bad feeling. We have to keep Kurai away from that man."

xxx

Nazuna approached Inuyasha. "What have you been doing Inuyasha?! Why are you bothering Kurai? How are you alive?"

Inuyasha turned slowly and smiled; a dark, evil smile. His eyes were dark black and hypnotized Nazuna.

Wordlessly, she led him to the control room in the Karaoke Crown. He set up a trap.

"Call your priestess." Inuyasha snarled.

Nazuna obediently called Kurai, and she went to the Command center to help her friend, only to be attacked by Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?!" Kurai said. "You hypnotized Kai? You're trying to steal the Shikon no Tama?!"

She finally snapped, furious, and hit him hard with her power. "WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

Reiko defended by holding Ron at bay and attacking him.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha says. "Get off me!" He throws Kurai against the wall. She hits it hard and falls to the ground.

"Chaos!?" Reiko rushes over to her. She kneels beside Chaos. "Chaos!?" She doesn't respond. "No..." Reiko sees blood on the floor beneath the priestess. "No! Kurai!"

The crystal begins to glow in Inuyasha's hand. "The Shikon no Tama!?"

The light pours into Kurai and heals her. He looks relieved.

"I won't allow this. You impostor! I see what you really are. I will SAVE YOU" The Shikon's light flows at Inuyasha, surrounding him. Maka appears in the light behind him.

"Inuyasha," Maka says. "You have done well. Now that I have the Shikon no Tama, I don't have any business with you girls. This place will be your tomb!" She looks at Chaos.

"Chaos... We meet again. You're still a weak, childish young girl. I am Maka. Priestess, have you always wanted to kill Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha!?" Kurai thinks shocked. "It can't be... Can it!? Can it really be... Inuyasha!?"


	12. Death

"Inuyasha!?" she calls out. "He's alive!? Inuyasha!?"

"Is it you?" she thinks. "Those cold eyes... Doesn't he recognize me!? Could he be under control!? Has he become a tool of the Darkness? ... Has he become a tool of this Maka? He came... to steal the Shikon no Tama from me!?"

"No!" she shouts. "Look at me! Inuyasha! Inuyasha!?"

"Princess," says Maka, "your prince doesn't exist anymore. I just put the power of the Shikon no Tama into the dead prince's body. And with the power from Prince Inuyasha, we will resurrect me completely. He has been blessed with the power. He is the Darkness' finest soldier!"

"Dead body!?" Kurai thinks. "Dead!? Impossible. It's impossible!"

Inuyasha and Maka blow up the ceiling of the arcade and form a warp hole. The Maka and Inuyasha are pulled into the black warp. "No matter where it is," she says, "the fight will be the same." A part of her hair whips out and wraps around Kurai's neck.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," Maka says. "Now tell me! The secret of the Shikon no Tama! It was passed down to the Moon Capital... The legendary Shikon no Tama."

She tightens her grasp on Kurai. "Where is the infinite power!? Give me the power, for eternal youth, and unequaled strength!"

Kurai moans. "Priestess!" Reiko calls.

"I had been waiting, since ancient times," Maka says. "One day I saw an extraordinary meteor shower at dawn. In that disastrous year... A gigantic lump appeared on the sun, from an evil black spot. It shot off and came down with the meteor shower. It was born on Earth. I awakened then."

"I awakened as the goddess Maka. Ever since then, I've been waiting..."

"Let the princess go!" Reiko says. "Maka... Maka... I remember... You...! You manipulated the people of Earth. Agitated them. You came to attack the capital on the moon. You did it all so recklessly. You sold your soul to the devil of the Darkness. I remember it clearly... And then, what you did... To the princess, and Prince Inuyasha..."

Kaguya screams as the blade cuts through Inuyasha.

Reiko grabs her sword and swings it at Maka, slicing through her chest. "And you've been reincarnated in this age..."

"That annoying Queen banished me to the bottom of the earth," says Maka.

"You don't have to become a demon!" Reiko says.

"But, I will become supreme in this universe. Then, we can rule again! Ha ha! We have the Shikon no Tama and the princess now. We need wait no longer for the revival of the growing leader. I, Maka, will rule all. I'll be the true queen, with my new companion, Prince Inuyasha!"

"No..." Kurai cries. The hair holds tight around her neck. "No! Inuyasha!"

Reiko and Nazuna try to cut the hair strangling Kurai. They both try to lift the heavy sword. They fail. Then try again and cut the hair but Kurai is still entangles.

"The moon!" calls Reiko. "Our capital." She raises the sword high. "With the strength of my old life!"

"Inuyasha!" Kurai cries. "Inuyasha! I'll win you back!"

The crystal begins to glow in his hand.

Reiko clutches the sword and charges.

The sword pierces Maka through the stomach and begins to glow. She screams as blood flows out of her wound.

"The sword!?" Elena thinks. "That light..." "I finally had you..." thinks Maka. "Prince Inuyasha..."

Maka remembers being young, and watching from afar as Inuyasha and Kaguya embrace.

"I've always been watching you." Her face contorts, her body begins to disintegrate. "Always." Maka's tiara drops to the floor.

Reiko stares at the glowing sword. She reads the words on the sword. "'When the sword glows... the princess will be the queen. The spirit of the Shikon no Tama will appear. It will become complete. It will become great. The power of the Moon Capital will awaken. Give a prayer at the Prayer Tower. Pray that the Moon Capital will have peace again...'" Elena collapses, and Inuyasha rushes and grabs her and enters the black portal with her and the sword. Kurai is also taken into the portal hole. Just as the others chase after to save Kurai and Elena, the portal closes.

The soldiers learn that Kurai, Inuyasha, and Reiko have been transported to the Arctic. They also transport there. All find a castle. Kurai has followed Inuyasha all the way there.

Torches light the walls of the castle. "Where is this...? Dark... And so cold..." Kurai thinks.

"So you followed all this way."

Kurai looks up and sees Inuyasha standing over her.

Reiko lies unconscious on the floor beside him, next to the sword.

He slowly walks toward Kurai.

"Inuyasha..." she says. "Inuyasha... It's me. Kaguya."

He holds up the Shikon no Tama. Its light glows on his face, shining on his white eyes. The crystal fades away. He touches his hands to her face. He leans his head close to hers. He grabs Kurai by the neck and lifts her in the air. Kurai screams. He glares at her, his eyes black. He holds up the crystal.

"Tell me! If this is the Shikon no Tama, why does it give out no power? Besides this tiny piece and that sword, is there another Shikon no Tama with more power!?"

"No-..." says Kurai, as his grip tightens around her neck.

"What is this great power of the Priestess!? Is it power carried by another Shikon no Tama!? Where is that!?"

"This can't be..." thinks Kurai. "This person, doing this..."

She reaches for the crystal in his hand. As she touches it, a blinding light flashes from it, knocking her back onto the floor.

Now Soten, Nazuna, and Shiori appear. "Kurai! Swarm Queen!", they yell.

A dark, gaseous entity appears from all around him. "Carrier of the blood of the Moon Capital," it says. "So you've come this far, to this closed empire of the Darkness. You have killed my beloved. I am Makaijyu, and poor Maka is healing inside my body. I am the Jyu part of her. Maka and I are one."

The girls step back. "Is this Maka and Jyu's true form? Makaijyu? Our ultimate enemy!?"

Inuyasha thrusts his arm forward, and the girls are blown against the wall. Shiori appears before them, and blocks his attack.

"Kurai-chan!" Nazuna says. "His being this strong is due to the power of the Shikon no Tama taken in by his body."

Reiko sits up, holding the sword.

"Listen carefully," says Soten. "What is written on the sword is the method for the seal. To seal away that demon, Makaijyu, the complete form of the Shikon no Tama is necessary. Using the power of Kurai-chan's spirit, take the contents of the Shikon no Tama absorbed into him before, and return it to inside the crystal! That will be the complete form. Then, using that as a switch, open the power! You must seal away Makaijyu and vanquish it! That time has come, Makaijyu!"

"Power, you say?" says Makaijyu. "The infinite power of the Shikon no Tama? Where is it!? The source of the power! Give it to me!"

"It is the power to bury you, Makaijyu!" says Reiko.

"Thoughtless, weak, know-nothing priestess. Are you the one who can seal me away? Heh heh... Your corpse will lie eternally in the Darkness."

Nazuna as she draws her arms together to attack.

"Nazuna!" yells Kurai.

The attack is drawn into the darkness.

"Heh heh..." says Makaijyu. "More, more energy!"

"It didn't work!?" says Shiori. "That's...!?"

"What can we do!" says Soten. "We don't have a chance like this. How can we even attack Inuyasha...!"

"He's being reborn now as another personality!" says Reiko. "He's the same as Makaijyu! We have to get him back!"

She brings her arms together over her head and magic pools in her fingertips.

"Reiko, no!" calls Kurai.

The attack shoots at Inuyasha.

He raises his hand and the attack dissipates. Reiko is knocked back onto the floor.

"Reiko!" calls Kurai. She holds up her sword. Power blasts at Inuyasha, surrounding him.

He grips the crystal before his black eyes. "It's useless," he says. "You cannot beat me."

"Whatever I do," thinks Kurai, "he won't return to his old self!? I have to defeat Makaijyu. But to do that, I have to take out the power of the Shikon no Tama from inside him..."

"It seems the power was absorbed by the dead prince's body," said Makaijyu, "but he never awakened. It's futile. The prince was resurrected with my power!"

"Is he a different person now!? Can I do nothing but defeat him!? Kill him...?" She starts to cry. "No... No!" As she holds her head, supersonic waves form from her two balls of hair. The waves shake Inuyasha as he holds the crystal. A ball of light emerges from his body, and floats into the crystal.

"Inuyasha and the Shikon no Tama," says Nazuna, "are reflecting the chaos in Kurai-chan's heart, and resonating...!"

"Kurai-chan's heart..." says Shiori, "is controlling the power of the Shikon no Tama?"

Kurai looks at Inuyasha. He stares back at her, his hands glowing. Power blasts at her and the others, knocking them back.

"Queen..." thinks Kurai. "Tell me... I can't do it..."

_"There is no one but you who can do it!"_ said the queen. _"Please, take pride and self-confidence in being the princess and the soldier of justice, Chaos."_

Kurai stands up. "I can't stand to see him like this...Is there nothing I can do but this?" She picks up the sword. "Is this... our destiny having been reborn?" She lunges at Inuyasha. She swings the sword across his chest. Blood sprays as he reaches his hand out. He holds her head close to his. He looks at her with white eyes. They close their eyes, and kiss deeply.

"Inuyasha..."

Kurai holds out the sword, and plunges it into her own chest.

"Inuyasha... I love you. You are the first and only one I've fallen in love with. Even if we are reborn, I will surely meet you again. We will surely fall in love again."

The others look on in horror at Kurai, as she falls past Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha... We will cross time, and be reborn... And next time... We will be happy... Inuyasha..."

"Priestess!" calls Reiko. "Oh no..." Her eyes water. "We were not reborn to live this moment again...! Is this our unavoidable destiny?"

Kurai and Inuyasha collapse on the ground. The sword hits the floor with a clang.

"Noooo!" shouts Reiko. "Are we only repeating our former lives?"


	13. Rebirth

The crystal floats in the air, and joins with the light from Inuyasha.

"The Shikon no Tama..." says Ahiru. "It's returning to its complete form!?"

It shines brightly. A chamber of crystal appears around the two bodies, sealing them inside.

Then darkness grows. It is Makaijyu. It embraces the crystal and swallows Kurai and Inuyasha inside.

As Makaiju grows, the soldiers realize there is only one way try and help to defeat Makaiju - by sacrificing their lives. By doing so, they will unleash the ultimate power of all their planets. They all pray to the Priestess to wake up, to be alive, and to save them all. They combine their powers with their pens. There is a blast. And four soldiers lie dead on the ground.

**Moon, in the distant past**

Kaguya sneaks around a pillar.

"Found you! Priestess!" says Reiko. "Going to see the prince again? I know you're infatuated, but approaching him... it's dangerous!"

"It is not infatuation!" says Kaguya. "Reiko... Being that you've never truly fallen in love..." She sticks out her tongue. "You don't know my feelings!"

She runs off.

"Priestess!" says Reiko. "Oh... I have too..."

**On the Past Earth now..**

Reiko grabs Kaguya.

"Priestess! Did you come here again!? Come on, we're going home."

"It must be tough having a Priestess so full of curiosity," says Sesshomaru.

Reiko sighs.

"Brother!" says Inuyasha.

"Reiko?" says Nazuna.

Reiko shakes her head.

"I'm worried," she says. "That watching over Earth, protecting the Shikon no Tama, and one day becoming queen... Even though she's in love, she may get hurt."

Xxx

Priestess Kaguya is now thinking with Inuyasha beside her:

"Feeling the wind blow here, looking at the sea like this... It gives me peace of mind."

Inuyasha turns to her. "When you look from the moon, what does this planet look like?"

"It looks like a blue crystal ball," says Kaguya.

They kiss under the moonlight.

"Inuyasha... So warm... When I'm with you, my spirit instantly becomes clear... I fill with strength... I want to be with you always... Like this for eternity..."

They look out and see darkness in the distance.

"Those..." says Kaguya. "What are those black clouds?"

"I don't know," says Inuyasha. "For some time there has been darkness over there, and clusters of huge monoliths have appeared. And they gradually spread over the planet..."

**At the End of the Past**

Cosmos' army attacks the palace.

Inuyasha stands in front of Kaguya, his sword drawn.

"Stop!" he says. "You must not have such strife and hatred!"

As Maka raises her sword, a black cloud of energy forms behind her.

Kaguya screams as the blade cuts through Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!"

She picks up the sword, and plunges it into her own chest.

Her four soldiers gasp.

"Priestess!"

Kaguya's mother sees the tragedy:

"I had a feeling this love would end in sorrow. Love should not bind partners from the different planets, Earth and the moon..."

The Mother sees the Priestess, her four soldiers, and Inuyasha lying on the ground, lifeless.

Tears fall from her eyes.

"I'll confine that demon... And along with this moon, seal everything... I will entrust you to the future!"

Priestess Kaguya was thinking as death takes over:

"Inuyasha... Next time, we will be reborn on the same planet, and we will be happy. Shikon no Tama entrusted to me... Please, search for us together... Embrace me softly... Protect us, and next time, make us happy..."

**Present day**

Kurai opens her eyes. Darkness surrounds her.

"Where is this...? It's dark, and cold... Such darkness. Am I alive...? Am I dreaming?"

A shining crystal appears in front of her. "The Shikon no Tama..."

She sees a body next to her. "Inuyasha?" She touches her chest.

"I... The wound from piercing my chest is..."

She pulls out the Omnitrix, chipped and cracked.

"I put it against my chest... Inuyasha's watch... It's in pieces... Did it take the sword for me!?"

A tear streaks down her cheek. "It's not a dream... Was I the only one brought back to life? This is..." The tear runs off her face and lands on the glowing crystal.

The crystal spreads open like a flower, shining brightly.

She then hears voices of hatred and spite, anger coming from the people of earth. She realizes she is INSIDE Makaiju.

"Have you awakened!? Carrier of the blood of the Moon! What is this power of life, impudent one! Heh heh... But you are now in my hands, and I will crush you!" Makaiju yells.

"No!" thinks Kurai. "I have to get out of here!" She holds the glowing crystal.

"Ohh!? The insides of my body are hot! What are you doing!"

She appears outside on the rocky ground. "I made it out!?" she thinks. "We were enveloped in the Shikon no Tama!?"

Kurai holds Inuyasha's hand in hers.

"His hand..." she says. "Your hand... It's getting warmer!? Inuyasha?"

He slowly opens his eyes. "Chaos?"

Her eyes water. "Inuyasha...! It's a miracle...!"

He holds his hands in front of his black eyes.

"I can't see... anything..." he says.

"Inuyasha!?" she cries. "It can't be...! Your eyes!?"

The cloud of darkness approaches behind Kurai. She turns around. "Makaiju!?"

She holds the crystal up, and blinding light blasts at the darkness.

"Such strong power!" it says. "Much, much greater power than the mass I took in! Give it to me! That Shikon no Tama! That power!"

"It's getting bigger and bigger," thinks Kurai. "Why!? Can't I seal this thing away with the Shikon no Tama!? Is there still not enough power!?"

"Kurai-chan!" calls Ahiru.

"Hold yourself together, Chaos!" says Reiko.

"Ahiru! Everyone, where are you!? I don't have the allies who are always with me to encourage me! I came to fight together, but... Where!? Where are you!? Not... In this thing...!?"

Kurai blasts more power into the darkness.

"Chaos!?" calls Inuyasha.

"It's no use," she thinks. "I can't make the seal. By myself I don't have the strength!"

"I feel it," thinks Inuyasha. "Chaos... Your pain... I will feel it too, to take it off you..."

She turns and looks at him.

"Bring out your usual cheer!" he says. "Don't cry! Have confidence in yourself. Your allies must be thinking that as well. It's all right. If they're your allies, surely they are watching you somewhere."

He holds her face. "Use all your strength. If your strength isn't enough, I will give my strength to you. In place of your allies, I will help you. I'll always be by your side, Kaguya."

"Inuyasha..." She touches her hand to his.

"He always gives me his strength," she thinks. "I, and the Shikon no Tama... I can't believe it... We're filling with courage, and strength... Rapidly... Becoming strong..."

"Ohh!" says Makaiju. "So you can manipulate at will the power of the Shikon no Tama! This one little girl! The power of the Shikon no Tama! I will not let you confine me! I will smash you to pieces! I will crush you!"

"No, Makaiju!" Kurai grabs her sword. The sword lengthens into a spear, the crystal floating over it. "You are the one who will be dust of darkness!"

Inuyasha looks up at the sky. "I can see the moon..." he thinks. "Shining with white!"

Kurai holds up the crescent rod as the crystal glows. The full moon shines down on her.

"I, Chaos and Priestess Kaguya, now with the strength of the moon, I will seal you away!"


	14. Finale

The shining flower-shaped Moon Crystal locks on to the crystal spear. Power blasts forth. The cloud of darkness continues approaching.

"Cosmos is unaffected!?" cries Kurai.

"Chaos!" calls Inuyasha. "Don't hesitate! Pray! Use all your strength! Waken the great power of the moon... Pray to the sacred tower of the moon... For peace..."

"I won't give up!" she thinks. "Stronger! Power! Great power of the moon! Awaken! I put in the strength of all my heart and soul! To that thing's weak spot!"

The sword and the four souls of the soldiers rise into the air. Their power shoots into the sky, toward the moon.

Xxx

"Prayer," says Ahiru. "Prayer is making the Moon Crystal... grow!? This power! Can it be...!"

She senses Kurai's spirit. "Kurai...! Kurai is fighting on the surface! She's praying! Together with Kurai...! Make us one! Now open the great power of the moon!"

xxx

Inuyasha looks up into the sky, squinting. Bright light shines down.

"This white light is pouring into my blind eyes... The true brilliance of the moon. The same brilliance as the Moon Crystal!"

"Ohh!" says Cosmos. "This brilliance of the moon! This is it! The enormous power I have been searching for!" The light shines on the cloud of darkness. "I can't reach it! What pressure! My body... is being broken through!"

"Begone!" says Kurai. She holds up the crystal spear. "With the power of this sacred light! Turn to dust!"

Light shines from the crystal to the mark on Cosmos' forehead. Cosmos screams as the light penetrates. The cloud of darkness blasts apart into nothingness.

Kurai's eyes widen and she falls forward. Her power winks out and she faints.

xxx

Ahiru's spirit returns to her body and she returns to the moon. The old beautiful palace stands restored before them. "Kurai Moon Crystal led it... It was resurrected with the great power of the moon." Ahiru says.

Xxx

The wind blows around Inuyasha as he looks into the sky. "I don't feel the strong light of the moon that was just here," he thinks. "Has it returned to the normal, subdued light of the moon? I wonder if it saved this planet."

He feels the ground. "The world... It's only a little injured. If it's like this... It will be all right."

He sees Kurai lying on the ground. "Chaos?" He lifts her in his arms.

"Her body's... cold... Did she use up her strength? All of her strength..."

He leans down and kisses her deeply on the lips.

Her eyes slowly open. She looks into his white eyes.

"I can see..." he says. "Your face... I can see it clearly!"

"Inuyasha?"

"Kaguya!"

"Inuyasha...! We're together... Finally! Inuyasha...! I'm so glad...! Inuyasha..."

"Kurai... I've always wanted to hold you like this, Kurai."

"We were born here to bind together."

"Kaguya."

"Inuyasha."

She looks at him.

"Inuyasha, I love you... We won't be apart anymore."

She hears the voices of her friends.

"Kurai..."

"Kurai..."

"We're glad..."

"Everyone...!" says Kurai. She turns around. "Everyone? My allies?" She looks over the empty field. "Where are you?"

Inuyasha takes her hand. "It's all right. I'll search."

"Inuyasha?" He presses his hand to the ground.

"I can see," she thinks. "Holding his hand, images of this planet... Inuyasha, this is your power, isn't it. This is your power from this planet."

The four warriors lie dead on the ground.

Kurai gasps. "Everyone!? No... It can't be...!"

"Kurai? Kurai, can you hear me?"

"Ahiru!? she says. "Ahiru, is that you!? Where are you!?"

"The moon. Kurai, come to the moon."

"Ahiru! What about them all!? Oh no, did Cosmos!? I have to save them all! Ahiru, I don't have any power anymore..."

She holds the shattered Moon Crystal in her hands.

"You can make it to the moon now, Kurai. Pray to the Moon Crystal that's become one with the crystal sword."

She picks up the sword.

Inuyasha holds her.

"To the moon!"

Kurai gasps.

"The Moon Shrine...!"

"That's right, Kurai," says Ahiru. "The Moon has been resurrected. The master of the Castle is you. Kurai, you will be the new High Priestess."

"Ahiru..." says Kurai. "But I have to go home, where my mom and dad are waiting. I may be the High Priestess, but... I am Kurai. The Earth where Inuyasha is, is now the place where I am."

"Kurai," says Ahiru.

The small image of the High Priestess appears on the ground before the tower.

"High Priestess!?"

"Please be happy, Kaguya," she says. "This time, with the one you love."

The image vanishes.

On the floor in front of the tower, the Moon Crystal appears, whole again. Kurai bends down and picks it up.

It glows and shines.

Kurai stares at Earth through space. She raises the crystal sword with the Moon Crystal.

"Heal..."

She heals everyone on earth. The four warriors rise up, alive once more. All the humans of earth get up as if they had just had a strange dream. Kurai sees her beloved friends. She runs into their arms.

"I thought I might never see you again!" Tears fall from their eyes as they embrace.

The sun is coming up and they all return to their homes. Victorious.

xxx

The next morning, the girls greet each other as they pass.

Kurai enters the Park with a smile.

She sneaks up behind the bench.

She leans down and kisses Inuyasha on the cheek.

"You're late," he says, smiling. "I bet you were in trouble again."

"No, I was not!" says Kurai. "Look! Your pocket watch." She holds it out. "I had it all fixed up."

She reaches up and shows him.

"See? It's moving, isn't it!"

They touch lips, close their eyes, and kiss deeply.


End file.
